THE GOVERNMENT care watchdog has praised the standard of care at the Kirkwood Hospice.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) the government body which regulates and inspects health and social care in England – ruled that Kirkwood Hospice met all standards and received fantastic patient feedback.

Following an unannounced inspection in December, inspectors interviewed both patients and relatives about treatment at the hospice.

The CQC were told by patients that they “were treated as individuals” and with “respect and dignity”.

Staff were also described as caring, attentive, friendly and were recognised as “paying attention to the smallest of details” which in turn added to “comfort and well-being”.

The hospice was also praised for commitment to staff training – as the CQC recognised it “worked hard to continually assess and monitor the quality of the services and take into account the views of people using the services”.

Meals were popular, with one patient saying: “The food was very good and staff went out of their way to find food to tempt patients even when they didn’t have much of an appetite.”

Director of clinical services, Christine Springthorpe, said: “We are naturally delighted to have received such a glowing report from the CQC.

“At Kirkwood we work hard to provide the best possible care for all our patients and their families and I am pleased that the inspectors have witnessed this passion and commitment during their visit.”

The CQC has changed the way it inspects hospices and now places a special emphasis on feedback and comments from patients and relatives.

Kirkwood Hospice provides free specialist care to adults with advanced, progressive illnesses at any time from diagnosis to the end of life, celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.

To look at the full compliance report, visit www.cqc.org.uk or go to Kirkwood Hospice website at: